Air conditioning apparatus



y 1936- G. F. ZELLHOEFER 2,039,375

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed March 29, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 :5. E. INVENTOR.

6L .E/V/V F. ZELZHOEFEI? A TTORNE Y.

y 1935- e. F. ZELLHOEFER 2,039,375

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS 4 Filed March 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig-5- BY M A TTORNE Y.

Patented May 5, 1936 AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Glenn F. vZcllhoefer, Blooming-ton, 111., assignor to Williams Oil-O-Matic Heating Corporation, Bloomington, 11L, a corporation of Illinois Application March 29, 1934, Serial No. 717,927

zcmms. (oi. 251-37) This invention relates to improvements in air conditioning apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus of this character, which may be employed for the circulation of warm air during cold weather and cold air during warm weather. It is an object of this invention to provide a system of the character above described which is readily adaptable to a warm air heatingsystem of a dwelling which includes a fan blower for causing a circulation of air about a coil of pipes and providing means for heating the pipes to circulate warm air in cold weather, and refrigerating or cooling the pipes for circulating cool air in warm weather.

With these and other objects in view, reference is made to the accompanying sheets of drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of this invention with the understanding that minor detail changes may be made therein r without departing from the scope thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention as applied to the warm air heating system of a building.

Figure 2 is a view in section taken on the line 2-2, Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a view in section taken on the line 3-4, Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a view in section taken on the line 4-4, Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a view in section taken on the line 5-5, Figure 8, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail top plan view of a manifold forming a part of the heating or cooling coil.

Figure 7 is a view in section taken on the line 1 Figure 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a view in section taken on the line 8-8, Figure 7, looking in the direction of the arrows. I

Figure 9 is a view in section taken on the line 99, Figure 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 10 is a ure 9;

Figure 11 is a view in section taken on the line Il-l I, Figure 9, looking in'the direction of the arrows. 55 Figure 1 illustratesawarmairheatingappaview in end elevation of ratus as employed in the warm air heating system of a dwelling. The casing 1 preferably extends from floor to ceiling in the basement of the house and is divided by a central partition 2 into compartments 3 and 4, which compart- 5 ments are connected at the top to the circulating ducts 5 and 6 of the warm air heating system. One or more motor operated circulating fan blowers 'l are mounted in the bottom of, the compartment 4, which is connected to" the suc- 10 tion or cool air duct 5. The fan blower 1 discharges the cool air from compartment 4 through a conduit 5 passing through the bottom of the partition 2 and is expanded in compartment 3 to form the wall adjacent the partition 2 to extend upward parallel thereto and the opposite wall to be curved upwardly which walls are connected to a rectangular casing 8 spaced apart from the walls of the compartment 3. The casing 8 supports a plurality of pipes passing through opposite ends thereof. The pipes 9 passing through the end walls of the casing 8 are arranged in parallel horizontal rows and each row upon the exterior of the casing 8 is connected to a manifold. The upper manifold ill is connected to a source of steam, hereinafter described, and the lower manifold H is connected to a means to return the condensate of said steam to said source, as hereinafter described. It is preferable to construct all other manifolds in pairs with the ends of the'respective manifolds of each pair in communication with each other, whereby the plurality of rows of pipes are in continuous communication, from the upper manifold ID to the lower manifold H. l I It is preferable to arrange adjacent one sid of the casing I a boiler burner unitincludinga horizontal boiler 12 mounting at one end a fluid fuel-burning mechanism l3 and connected at the other end tora stack' or pipe. leadingto 4O the'chimney or stack of the building. The upper side of the boiler I 2 connected by the pipe l5 to the upper manifold ID of the pipes 9. The lower end of the boiler l2 is'connected by the pipe 16 to the lower manifold H of the ,pipes 9 whereby the pipes 9 are filled with water from the boiler to. the level of the water in the boiler, as indicated by the dot and dash line W-L, Figures 1 and 5.. When steam is generated in the boiler, it will pass through pipe l5 into the manifold In and th condensate therein will drain into the water in the pipes below the boiler water line. In order to insure the condensate to 'drain in this manner the first three rows of. pipes 9 are arranged at a'slight angle to the horizontal and the entire series of pipes are so supported up on the casing 8 that the normal water level will partially fill the lowermost portion of the third from the top row of pipes, as indicated by the dot and dash line W-L, Figure 5.

During the heating season, while the boiler burner unit is in operation, steam and hot water will be contained in the series of pipes 9 and the operation of the fan 1 will. cause the cool air drawn in to the compartment 4 through the ducts 5 to be passed upward, over and through the series of pipes contained within the casing 8 into the upper portion of the compartment 3 and from thence through the duct 6 to be circulated through the rooms of the building.- The same mechanism may be applied for cooling the building in hot weather by providing valves I! in the pipes l5 and I6 adjacent the exterior of the casing l whereby the admission of steam through pipe l5 may be out off and the water in the pipes 9 drained through a valve l8 in the pipe I6 and the valve [1 therein then closed. Means is provided for circulating water from a cooling tank l9 by a pump 20 drawing the water through pipe 2| from the bottom of said tank and discharging it through the pipe 22, connected to the pipe I6 between the closed valve ll therein, and the lower manifold ll of the pipes 9. The cooling fluid forced by the pump 20 through the pipes 9 is then conducted through a pipe 23 leading from the pipe I5, between the upper manifold l and the closed valve I! therein, to the upper side of the cooling tank I9. By the operation of the fan blower and pump 20, a cooling or refrigerating fluid can be continuously passed through the pipes 9 and the air from the fan blower 1 passing thereover will be reduced in temperature and the cooled air circulated through the rooms of the building.

The pipes 9 are preferably small in diameter and each provided within the casing 8 with a plurality of closely spaced radiating fins 24, as shown more in detail in Figures and 6, whereby the radiating surface is greatly increased. The ends of the pipes extending upon the exterior of the casing 8 are joined to horizontal pipes 25, forming a manifold connection for each row, as shown in detail in Figures '7 and 9. Beginning at the top, the ends of each pair of manifold connections 25 on the side opposite the intake and discharge manifolds l0 and H are joined to each other by a cap 26 which provides a means of communication 21 from the upper row of pipes to the lower row of pipes, as shown more in detail in Figures 9 and 11.

It is preferable to provide air filters in the compartment 4, preferably in the forms of frames 28 arranged at ,an angle to each other above the motor 29 for operating the fan blowers 1. The air filters are preferably composed of spun glass or other air filtering material confined between perforated plates 30 supported in the frames 28 whereby the air sucked through the intake ducts 5 is filtered before being discharged through the fan blowers I and pipes 9 to the discharge ducts 3.

The tank for supplying the cooling medium to the pipes 9 may be cooled in any desired manner, as by cakes of ice, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, or by the application of the cooling coil of a mechanical refrigerating apparatus.

It is seen from the above construction that a very compact heating plant may be provided for a circulating warm air heating system, and with but slight additions the same plant may be employed during cool weather to cool the air circulated thereby. The arrangement of a plurality of small pipes with radiating fins arranged in rows with each row communicating with the next and mounted within a casing confining the air from the blowers produces a most eflicient ducts of the system, a fan blower in the intake compartment, an air discharge duct leading therefrom into the discharge compartment, a plurality of small connected pipes arranged in a plurality of vertical rows and a plurality of rows horizontally arranged in the discharge compartment over which the air discharged from the fan blower passes on its way to the circulating ducts, a steam boiler, means connecting the upper horizontal row of pipes to the steam side of the boiler, and the lower horizontal row of pipes to the water side of the boiler for heating the air passed about said pipes, the end of each pipe in each horizontal row of pipes connected to a manifold with the upper and lower manifolds forming the said connecting means to the steam and water pipes, respectively, and the ends of the remaining manifolds connected to each other in pairs.

1 2. An air circulating system including an air intake compartment and an air discharge compartment leading to the respective circulating ducts of the system, a fan blower in the intake compartment, an air discharge duct leading therefrom into the discharge compartment, a plurality of small pipes arranged in vertical and horizontal rows in the discharge compartment over which the air discharged from the fan blower passes on its way to the circulating duct, a steam boiler, a manifold arranged at each end of each horizontal row of pipes with one upper manifold connected to the steam side of the boiler and the lower manifold in the same vertical row connected to the water side of the boiler and the intermediate manifolds connected in pairs, a plurality of rows of said pipes arranged above the normal water level in the boiler and the remaining pipes, and the rows of pipes above said water level arranged at a slight angle to the horizontal to cause the condensate collecting therein' to drain into said water.

GLENN F. ZELLHOEFER. 

